After using Poll Everywhere I found it a bit cumbersome to input questions. There was no way to import questions from another source (word doc, ExamView, etc) to make it faster. This is a problem for me as I have many questions already typed and would like to option to input them directly without having to retype them. Also when using it, I was a the mercy of the speed of the internet. My districts infrastructure has not had a major update since 1999. There was lots of wait time and no real easy/quick way to move between questions. We as a class were moving much faster than the internet would allow us.
Some of the upsides we found were that the kids were WAY into it! They loved using their cell phones in school. They also found it easy to use since they were already familiar with the technology. They loved seeing the bar move and yelling out "THAT WAS ME!!!! I said 'NO' and it went up!!!". One upside I found was that Poll Everywhere gave the option to answer the poll through a website. This was essential for all students to feel involved as all students in my classes do not have cell phones and some have phones without unlimited texting.
Here are my questions
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Group Video Tutorial PART A - Brainstorm Session/Web-Conferencing
This post will be about my experience with video conferencing. We held a few video conferences today using Adobe Connect.
Our Video conference served two purposes. One was to learn video conferencing and two was to brainstorm about our group tutorial project design.
Prior to the conference our group had good brainstorming done in both google docs as well as through angel posts. Below is a link to our google document brainstorming and a screenshot of our angel brainstorming posts.
Google Document
after deciding to use Vyew as our video conferencing tool, Dan and I hopped on Sunday morning and to our dismay Vyew was down and you could not log in as a member...Dan was still able to create a room and we attempted to communicate in that room but were unable to find how to communicate though microphones and were stuck writing in the chat box. The best we could figure was that you had to be logged in as a member in order to use mics. I then called an audible and signed up for a free trial of adobe connect and we jumped ship to the adobe room I created. Some advantages we found of adobe connect was that it was extremely user friendly and easy to create a free account. It literally took less that 2 minutes to set up an account and get a room up and running. Within the room, it was very easy to start communicating through our webcams. It wasn't as easy to fine-tune the audio so we didn't get echoing but still was not difficult. Adobe immediately provided a URL for me to copy into our Google Doc so that Dan and Becky could enter the room.
Some downsides to Adobe connect is that they have no extended free version. My free trial ends in 15 days and I would then need to purchase a version or switch to a different video conferencing tool. Another disadvantage is that Adobe's free trial does not allow you to record the meetings for later playback. To do this we had to use Screencast-o-matic.com (SOM) and we were then obligated to keeping the meeting under 15 minutes as this is the longest SOM will allow.
If I were to do this over again, I would try and hold my video conference on a day that I was not under time constraints and I would enter the room before the meeting so that I was very familiar with all aspects of the video conferencing tool. Therefore, I would be able and answer as many questions or address as many problems as possible. I see video conferencing in general being useful in my classroom by allowing us to go on virtual field trips (for free) to many different science careers and actually get to talk with people who make science their life. I can also see creating virtual office hours on a given night for students to be able to ask questions if they were having difficulty on an assignment. (although that would take some ironing out before I could put into practice).
Overall the video conference went very well and as a good experience to go through.
Here are a few screenshots of us using Adobe Connect
Our Video conference served two purposes. One was to learn video conferencing and two was to brainstorm about our group tutorial project design.
Prior to the conference our group had good brainstorming done in both google docs as well as through angel posts. Below is a link to our google document brainstorming and a screenshot of our angel brainstorming posts.
Google Document
after deciding to use Vyew as our video conferencing tool, Dan and I hopped on Sunday morning and to our dismay Vyew was down and you could not log in as a member...Dan was still able to create a room and we attempted to communicate in that room but were unable to find how to communicate though microphones and were stuck writing in the chat box. The best we could figure was that you had to be logged in as a member in order to use mics. I then called an audible and signed up for a free trial of adobe connect and we jumped ship to the adobe room I created. Some advantages we found of adobe connect was that it was extremely user friendly and easy to create a free account. It literally took less that 2 minutes to set up an account and get a room up and running. Within the room, it was very easy to start communicating through our webcams. It wasn't as easy to fine-tune the audio so we didn't get echoing but still was not difficult. Adobe immediately provided a URL for me to copy into our Google Doc so that Dan and Becky could enter the room.
Some downsides to Adobe connect is that they have no extended free version. My free trial ends in 15 days and I would then need to purchase a version or switch to a different video conferencing tool. Another disadvantage is that Adobe's free trial does not allow you to record the meetings for later playback. To do this we had to use Screencast-o-matic.com (SOM) and we were then obligated to keeping the meeting under 15 minutes as this is the longest SOM will allow.
If I were to do this over again, I would try and hold my video conference on a day that I was not under time constraints and I would enter the room before the meeting so that I was very familiar with all aspects of the video conferencing tool. Therefore, I would be able and answer as many questions or address as many problems as possible. I see video conferencing in general being useful in my classroom by allowing us to go on virtual field trips (for free) to many different science careers and actually get to talk with people who make science their life. I can also see creating virtual office hours on a given night for students to be able to ask questions if they were having difficulty on an assignment. (although that would take some ironing out before I could put into practice).
Overall the video conference went very well and as a good experience to go through.
Here are a few screenshots of us using Adobe Connect
Using the chat window
Sharing Screens
Shared notes window
On to the nuts and bolts of the video blog. We have decided that to make a tutorial on a few of the basics of Moodle the online management system. We will be teaching how to make a lesson on moodle with embeded video and guided questions. We have chosen to divide the tutorial into 3 equal parts and will be using screencast-o-matic to record our sections and then use windows movie maker to piece them all together. Becky will be demonstrating how to begin creating a lesson in Moodle, I will be demonstrating how to embed a video and ways around YouTube and Dan will be demonstrating how to add questions with guided responses. We have agreed to all look into getting a dummy Moodle class set up, one that all of us will have access to so we all can work on the same lesson. We are trying to get this set up by Tuesday and will be communicating on our Google document throughout the week.
Below are the two links to our web conference
Below are the two links to our web conference
LINK TO FIRST CONFERENCE:11AM Dan and Scott
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXf6D2DfI
LINK TO SECOND CONFERENCE: 8PM Dan, Scott and Becky
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXfXctDfJ
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXf6D2DfI
LINK TO SECOND CONFERENCE: 8PM Dan, Scott and Becky
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXfXctDfJ
WPP - PART B - Application of TPACK
When I take a step back and look at my Wicked Problem Project, incorporating a Student Response System into my classroom and I compare it to following to the TPACK curriculum I see my problem being well supported my TPACK. TPACK takes technology and ties it closely with pedagogy and content so that a teacher will have the greatest opportunity for successful technology integration into their curriculum.
By incorporating a SRS into my lesson, I will not be changing my teaching methods all that much. I will still be delivering content and probing for questions, but I now will be probing each student numerous questions and will be able to give instant feedback to both myself and the student. This will allow me to alter what I am doing, based on class participation, to best fit a class or group of students. It will allow a student to instantly see "how am I understanding this content?" and will hopefully provoke questions from the students if they are not understanding.
By creating pre-tests and post tests that the students will use the SRS to answer I am hoping for a shift in motivation for students. Unmotivated students will now have a tangible goal. They will see where they started with their pre-tests and most will want to see their post test score higher and in turn will find some motivation to get there. For the extrinsically motivated student, I am hoping for some intrinsic motivation to arise within.
When I look at how my SRS will make my content more intellectually accessible, I find myself looking at how quickly I can get results for both the students and myself. The students will immediately know how they did on a pre or post test and it will allow me the ability to publish test grades quicker for parents and students to access online.
By being able to pose numerous questions throughout my lessons I am also able to reel those rouge day-dreamers back in and make sure they are staying connected with the content of the lesson. Plus at the conclusion of lessons I will now have to ability to ask open ended, thought provoking questions (i.e. exit slips) to further test their knowledge and the SRS allows easy, quick, and organized access to their answers that I can then use to tailor the follow days lesson accordingly.
By using a SRS I will be reaching all learnings. My SRS allows me to incorporate an array of different types of questions into my lesson. From true/false to multiple choice. From multiple answer to opinion or open ended questions. I will be asking students to read and respond, watch this clip and respond, answer this question after I present this information to you, etc. As i become more comfortable with them I would also like to incorporate the SRS into group work and collaboration as well.
By incorporating a SRS into my lesson, I will not be changing my teaching methods all that much. I will still be delivering content and probing for questions, but I now will be probing each student numerous questions and will be able to give instant feedback to both myself and the student. This will allow me to alter what I am doing, based on class participation, to best fit a class or group of students. It will allow a student to instantly see "how am I understanding this content?" and will hopefully provoke questions from the students if they are not understanding.
By creating pre-tests and post tests that the students will use the SRS to answer I am hoping for a shift in motivation for students. Unmotivated students will now have a tangible goal. They will see where they started with their pre-tests and most will want to see their post test score higher and in turn will find some motivation to get there. For the extrinsically motivated student, I am hoping for some intrinsic motivation to arise within.
When I look at how my SRS will make my content more intellectually accessible, I find myself looking at how quickly I can get results for both the students and myself. The students will immediately know how they did on a pre or post test and it will allow me the ability to publish test grades quicker for parents and students to access online.
By being able to pose numerous questions throughout my lessons I am also able to reel those rouge day-dreamers back in and make sure they are staying connected with the content of the lesson. Plus at the conclusion of lessons I will now have to ability to ask open ended, thought provoking questions (i.e. exit slips) to further test their knowledge and the SRS allows easy, quick, and organized access to their answers that I can then use to tailor the follow days lesson accordingly.
By using a SRS I will be reaching all learnings. My SRS allows me to incorporate an array of different types of questions into my lesson. From true/false to multiple choice. From multiple answer to opinion or open ended questions. I will be asking students to read and respond, watch this clip and respond, answer this question after I present this information to you, etc. As i become more comfortable with them I would also like to incorporate the SRS into group work and collaboration as well.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
WPP - PART A - Description of Need or Opportunity
I have been teaching for over 3 years and in those three years I have taught over 7 different subjects within the sciences. I have also taught in both the high school and middle school settings. In each of those classroom settings, there was an underlining struggle that arose in all of the classes. The struggle was my ability to get an really good understanding of the students comprehension (as a whole) on a certain topic before I moved on to the next topic. What I have found worked best for me was to ask lots of questions, often. With this strategy, I am asking a question to a specific student every 30 seconds, on average. Even with this strategy I am only able to ask one question to one student. To me, this is unacceptable to swallow, but I had to swallow because I had no other alternatives. I plan to address this issue by using a Student Response System in my classroom. This system will allow me to pose multiple questions to the students and get a response from the ENTIRE CLASS!!! The system that I will be using is on loan from a fellow teacher who wrote a grant in order to purchase the $1500 system. I feel this is the most cost effective technological alternative that addresses my issue. Other alternatives include a netbook/laptop for each student which would cost roughly $500-%1000 per student or having the students use a polling software like Polleverywhere.com. This software allows students to use their cell phones to text in answers. I have tried using this type of software and a few problems arise with it. One problem is that you are at the mercy of the internet connection and in my district the words "archaically slow" comes to mind. It actually inhibited progress. The other problems I ran into were that not every student has a cell phone nor do all students have unlimited texting options on their plans. I then had to find other options for those students.
My plan is to seamlessly integrate the Student Response System into my note-taking process so that periodically throughout the notes, I will pose questions to all students and receive instant feedback from all students that I will use to gage if I need to clarify anything or can move on. All students will participate by using the system. I hope to have the ability to use these for the remainder of the year and if all goes well, purchase some after writing a grant for next year.
I also plan to use the Student Response System as a way of monitoring progress within a unit. I would like to create pre and post tests that will be administered to the class so that each student (and myself) will be able to know what their level of knowledge comprehension is before and after a unit. I am hoping students will see an increase in comprehension throughout the unit of study and this will spark some internal motivation to do as well as they can.
The following are sites that I have found that will be great resources for me when preparing a lesson as well as during the integration process.
http://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/srs/faculty/best_practices.cfm - Provides best practices of SRS integration from University of Wisconsin.
http://people.uncw.edu/lowery/swssa%20ms.pdf - outlines the history and benefits to using SRS. Also gives uses, types, and alternatives to SYS.
http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0 - A website that provides premade lessons and test question sets that I may access when designing my lessons. (I may not have to reinvent the wheel each time!)
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/physics/pdf/0508/0508114v1.pdf - This addresses the different types of questions
http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/ClickersintheClassroomAnActive/157458 - This gives evidence that SRS work to increase test scores
http://www.turningtechnologies.com/media/files/100%20ttech%20ideas%20for%20SRS.pdf - 100 ideas for SRS.
http://www.suite101.com/content/10-personal-response-systems-teaching-strategies-a159078 - 10 best practice using a SRS.
I used Google search engine for my searches and had tremendous success. I Rarely use other search engines. My Searches included "student Response systems in the classroom", "How to integrate student response systems into the classroom", "Ideas for SRS in the classroom", "Tips for use of SRS", "student response systems tips and tricks", "Student Response System Ideas".
I also used google Scholar search engine and found that most if the literature was not useful simply because of the length of the articles. Some of my searches included "student response systems in classrooms", "student response systems in middle school classrooms"
My plan is to integrate the SRS into at least two lessons, and two pre/post tests during the length of my CEP 812 class. My plan after that class finishes is to continue to integrate my fellow teachers SRS into as many lessons as possible and make pre and post tests for each unit from here on out. I also plan to look into writing a grant for funds to purchase my own student response system.
The way I plan to assess whether my technology integration was successful is to look at my pre and post test scores. I have a few pre and post test scores from units without my integration from earlier in the year that I will use as a control to compare my scores after using the SRS to. Hopefully I see an increase in my scores.
My plan is to seamlessly integrate the Student Response System into my note-taking process so that periodically throughout the notes, I will pose questions to all students and receive instant feedback from all students that I will use to gage if I need to clarify anything or can move on. All students will participate by using the system. I hope to have the ability to use these for the remainder of the year and if all goes well, purchase some after writing a grant for next year.
I also plan to use the Student Response System as a way of monitoring progress within a unit. I would like to create pre and post tests that will be administered to the class so that each student (and myself) will be able to know what their level of knowledge comprehension is before and after a unit. I am hoping students will see an increase in comprehension throughout the unit of study and this will spark some internal motivation to do as well as they can.
The following are sites that I have found that will be great resources for me when preparing a lesson as well as during the integration process.
http://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/srs/faculty/best_practices.cfm - Provides best practices of SRS integration from University of Wisconsin.
http://people.uncw.edu/lowery/swssa%20ms.pdf - outlines the history and benefits to using SRS. Also gives uses, types, and alternatives to SYS.
http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0 - A website that provides premade lessons and test question sets that I may access when designing my lessons. (I may not have to reinvent the wheel each time!)
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/physics/pdf/0508/0508114v1.pdf - This addresses the different types of questions
http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/ClickersintheClassroomAnActive/157458 - This gives evidence that SRS work to increase test scores
http://www.turningtechnologies.com/media/files/100%20ttech%20ideas%20for%20SRS.pdf - 100 ideas for SRS.
http://www.suite101.com/content/10-personal-response-systems-teaching-strategies-a159078 - 10 best practice using a SRS.
I used Google search engine for my searches and had tremendous success. I Rarely use other search engines. My Searches included "student Response systems in the classroom", "How to integrate student response systems into the classroom", "Ideas for SRS in the classroom", "Tips for use of SRS", "student response systems tips and tricks", "Student Response System Ideas".
I also used google Scholar search engine and found that most if the literature was not useful simply because of the length of the articles. Some of my searches included "student response systems in classrooms", "student response systems in middle school classrooms"
My plan is to integrate the SRS into at least two lessons, and two pre/post tests during the length of my CEP 812 class. My plan after that class finishes is to continue to integrate my fellow teachers SRS into as many lessons as possible and make pre and post tests for each unit from here on out. I also plan to look into writing a grant for funds to purchase my own student response system.
The way I plan to assess whether my technology integration was successful is to look at my pre and post test scores. I have a few pre and post test scores from units without my integration from earlier in the year that I will use as a control to compare my scores after using the SRS to. Hopefully I see an increase in my scores.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Final Reflection CEP 811
Incorporating technology for technology sake is about the most ineffective way to integrate technology into your curriculum. Using technology to further the educational process by providing differentiated learning is key. We can't merely use a projector like a glorified overhead projector, otherwise its a waste. Technology can offer you the tools to reach every student and allow them to be successful by developing lessons that are current, engaging, and interactive for the learner. Technology can offer more in-depth learning through online collaboration with fellow students and self-reflections from online blogging and forums. Plus technology feeds each kind of learner if used right. It has stimulating text, engaging videos, current images, interactive simulations, games and animations that all add to increasing a students ability in the classroom. Of course none of this is possible without strong thought and preparation before hand. Having a solid lesson plan guided by instructional design principles and TPACK framework will set you up for success.
Throughout this course I have been given many different evaluation tools to ensure that my technology integration is as effective as it can be. The things I have learned in this course have been very engaging and informational. They have also been easily applied and incorporated into my curriculum. From utilizing good instructional design principles to WebQuest evaluations to face-2-face instructional strategies, they all have been enlightening. WebQuest evaluations have become a regular habit of mine simply because you don't know what someone has put together and it is always better to be caught off guard when you're not in front of kids and this evaluation process allows me to do that. The website building was very informative having never created one before. I plan to continue to develop mine and incorporate it into my Moodle page. I find myself constantly asking the question "am I covering all the bases?" (in regards to UDL). I have utilized numerous sites that convert text to spoken work and visa-versa. Basically, because of this course I feel better equipt to create a well thought out lesson that incorporates technology and also evaluate the numerous different types of technology options.
This year, I have been blessed with technology being plopped into my lap. I have always been extremely open to using technology, but my district is so far behind, it's more of a pain than an asset. Because of the technology donated to me and this class, I have been able to reach many personal goals in regards to integrating technology into my classroom. I have a well developed Moodle page where students can access everything from class as well as enrichment assignments. My worksheets, webpages, online book, webpages, etc are all accessible from there. I have also developed numerous interactive online assignments that the students have been able to complete. I developed these lessons keeping instructional design principles in mind. I have also begun making screencasts of my lectures in class and posting them to my Moodle for absent students as well as student who need clarification when I am not able to give it. The students love being part of the lecture. I am currently in the process of using digital storytelling to create a still frame video of the different types of weathering processes. Starting next week I am offering extra credit for students that turn their assignments into me by sharing them with me through Google Apps. I have set up a number of assignments that will be able to be done this way.
A new goal of mine is to become paperless as much as possible. Some of my students have their own laptop and therefore can access my entire class online either through Google Apps or Moodle. One step I am trying to take currently to make this goal a reality is getting my entire class uploaded to Moodle. All worksheets, labs, projects, WebQuests, quizzes, tests, etc. I have created groups in both Google Apps and Moodle and this should simplify my grading. Another new goal is shifting my curriculum from meaningless worksheets, to interactive engaging projects that use technology to enhance learning. A long term plan is to create at least one meaningful project per unit per year. This way in three to four years, I will have a plethora of projects to choose from that use a variety of different technology to assess the students learning. An underlining plan that will help me reach both goals is utilizing what I learn in my certificate courses as well as my masters courses into my curriculum.
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